Ipswich Town ramped up their pre-season preparations with a friendly match against 2. Bundesliga outfit Fortuna Dusseldorf, losing 2-1 at Portman Road. Alex Jones reflects on the action.
Much-needed minutes
Ipswich needed this game. We obviously don’t know exactly what’s happened behind closed doors, whether they’ve played any friendlies or what they’ve been up to. The win against Shakhtar Donetsk was their first taste of match action in front of fans since May 4th, and this was another step up.
Fortuna Düsseldorf are further ahead in their pre-season preparations. Their league season starts next Sunday as they face a Darmstadt, who were relegated from the Bundesliga last season. This is their last hurdle and they’ll be at their peak fitness.
Less than two weeks ago, they won 5-2 against a Galatasaray side fresh off a 102-point title-winning season in the Turkish Superlig. Okan Buruk fielded the likes of Lucas Torreira, Dries Mertens, Wilfried Zaha and Michy Batshuayi in that game, but his side couldn't avoid a heavy defeat.
It wasn’t a surprise to see the German outfit start the better of the two teams at Portman Road. Despite scoring early on, Town nullified them well and had good spells of possession, albeit that chances were few and far between. The goal they scored was well worked, but a defensive lapse saw them fall behind again. Ultimately, they didn’t have the legs to turn the result around, and that’s fair enough.
These things don’t really matter at this point in pre-season, it’s all about building up fitness, which Ipswich will continue to do.
Signings start
This match, given that it was played in front of supporters at Portman Road, was a bit of a showcase. As a result, Kieran McKenna fielded four of his five new signings - Arijanet Muric, Ben Johnson, Jacob Greaves and Liam Delap. The manager claimed that it was to get them ‘acclimatised as soon as possible’.
“That’s by playing at the stadium, first and foremost,” he said after the game. “But certainly in Jacob, Liam and Aro’s cases, they haven’t had as many minutes with the group.”
Muric didn’t have much do to in terms of saves, making one good stop during his 45 minutes on the pitch. He took risks on the ball but looked comfortable doing so, showing confidence when playing out from the back.
Johnson played in a deeper role, albeit that he was caught high for the second goal. He looked natural in the team, as did Jacob Greaves, who made a couple of excellent blocks and clearances in the first half while also looking good on the ball.
Delap was clearly frustrated. He struggled to get on the end of any chances, but it wasn’t really his fault. Nothing really clicked for him, nor for Town, in the final third. That’s something that’ll come with time.
Penalty practice
Ipswich weren’t awarded many penalties last season. They were involved in one shoot-out, beating Reading in the Carabao Cup after a 2-2 draw.
It’s important to always be prepared, however, which is why the teams agreed to do a shoot-out after the match. Fortuna Dusseldorf won this 7-6.
The pressure of taking a penalty in the Premier League will surely be huge, and who knows when Town will next be involved in a shoot-out? They’ll enter the Carabao Cup in the second round this season and will hope to have a good run in the FA Cup too.
There’s maybe some work to be done. George Hirst’s was by far the best, and of the current squad, he’d clearly be the first choice when it comes to spot kicks. He had power and precision. Cameron Burgess also impressed, rifling his in off the crossbar. One or two others may need some more practice, but will benefit from the experience.
A belter from Burge. 🫨 pic.twitter.com/9HtKua3qil
— IPSWICH TOWN (@IpswichTown) July 27, 2024
Christian Walton’s save to deny Matthias Zimmermann was also one of the standout moments of the afternoon. He surely got a huge confidence boost from that, having hardly played last season.
A clear standout and a tactical tweak
Sam Morsy was named as the official Man of the Match, but it was hard to look past Marcus Harness. There have already been some question marks surrounding his role in the team and his future at the club, but with Ipswich's lack of fit wingers, this could be his chance to shine.
He was thrown in at the deep end, coming on after 30 minutes as Wes Burns pulled up with an injury. That was obviously much earlier than he expected and also on on the right flank, which isn't his natural side.
Yet within his first few second on the pitch, he sent Emmanuel Iyoha flying and tested goalkeeper Florian Kastenmeier. He was a regular threat down the right wing and deserved his goal, which was clinically taken - a confident low shot. His team-mates were lacking the same cutting edge that he displayed.
The 28-year-old played like he had a point to prove, and he certainly proved it.
On the opposite side, Jack Taylor started out of position as a left winger, a role which suited him as he tucked in to play a narrow position. This caused an overload centrally in possession and allowed Leif Davis to overlap him, getting the left-back into some dangerous positions in the final third.
Asked after the game, McKenna acknowledged that Taylor was yet to start in that role for Town, but had made the odd cameo on that flank in the Championsip. It was more of a needs must here, but this team is built on versatility and fluidity.
A thin squad
Town have been busy in the transfer market. Nobody can complain about the business that they’ve done because they’ve spent quite a bit of money and have recruited good players. However, as Mark Ashton stressed earlier this week, this isn’t the end of it.
Injuries have left Ipswich with a thin squad. Nathan Broadhead is set to miss at least two months with a hamstring injury. Harry Clarke is looking like another long-term absentee, while Omari Hutchinson, Ali Al-Hamadi, Cameron Humphreys and Axel Tuanzebe are all aiming to return to action too.
Add in the clear gaps that already exist (particularly out wide and in central midfield) and it leaves you with a pretty thin squad, one which needs extra recruits as soon as possible.
McKenna has stressed that, while some players may be allowed to exit this summer, he needs everyone involved at the moment because there simply aren’t enough bodies to be competitive. He knows that quite a few signings are required between now and the start of the season, and he’s confident that they’ll come soon enough.
There’s no need to panic, but it’s not something that the club are oblivious to.
New things
Let’s start with Portman Road, where fans returned for the first time since the 2-0 win against Huddersfield Town on May 4th. It’s been more than three months since fans had attended a game in IP1 and a few things have changed in that time.
The stadium is a bit of a building site, particularly on the outside. Inside, a lot is the same, although the press box is still unavailable. That saw reporters moved to one of the boxes in the lower tier, providing a unique vantage point of the game.
Seats have been moved and a safe standing area has been installed, but this is just the beginning. A lot of new facilities will be ready in time for the next friendly at Portman Road against OGC Nice on August 10th, with everything in place by the time Town kick off against Liverpool on August 17th. A lot of things will look totally different.
Many supporters also got to see the home shirt in action for the first time. It split opinion when it was first announced, but having now seen it in person, I think it looks much better. Muric also sported the new pink goalkeeper kit, which stands out as an eye-catching contrast to what his team-mates wear.
Another training camp
All eyes turn to next week, which is arguably the pivotal period of pre-season. Ipswich will head back out to the German/Austrian border for a training camp ahead of games against Borussia Mönchengladbach and Hoffenheim, two Bundesliga sides who finished in 14th and seventh place respectively last season.
These games will, of course, be their toughest tests so far. Both teams have played in the Champions League within the last few years and have ambitions of returning their next season. Hoffenheim will enter this season’s Europa League, where they could face the likes of Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.
Town will have to be fitter and sharper by the time those two games come around, and an intensive week of training should help them reach the levels McKenna wants. It's going to be hard work, just like it was when they went abroad last summer.
The Northern Irishman will hope to have a few more players available next weekend, perhaps with one or two new additions too. Not only is the training camp about fitness, but also about bonding and connecting with team-mates both on and off the pitch.
Doing that as early as possible is vital.
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